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We have dukes, tricks and holiday stories – it was a pretty darn good week for romance.

Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt. By day Maximus Batten is the Duke of Wakefield, a powerful member of Parliament. But by night he is the Ghost of St. Giles, prowling the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the man who brutally murdered his parents twenty years ago. When he rescues Artemis Greaves and her cousin, the fiery young woman discovers his secret and threatens to expose Maximus unless he uses his influence to free her imprisoned brother. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn't without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire—or the temptation of his embrace?

Bold Trick by Karina Halle. With more lives at stake and games in motion, Ellie, Camden and Javier form an uneasy alliance that will take them from the treacherous streets of inner-city Mexico to the wilds of the Honduran jungles in order to find their freedom. But with liberty just on the horizon, the cost might come at their own redemption.

Through the Smoke by Brenda Novak. Riches. Power. An ancient heritage of pride. The Earl of Druridge wanted only for an heir. So when he learned that his wife was carrying another man's child, he was filled with a thirst for vengeance. But he wasn't the one who caused Katherine's death. Or was he? To his horror, he remembers nothing of that dreadful night, when their last shocking confrontation ended in scorching flame and cold blood. Rachel McTavish, the beautiful daughter of a coal miner, knows something about the fire that took Lady Katherine's life. In secret, the strong-willed girl strikes a bargain with the desperate earl: he must send his physician to help her dying mother or he may go to the scaffold—and the devil. The earl agrees, but Rachel is still unsure that her revelation will be enough to save him when so many wish him dead. Passionately drawn to the nobleman, despite all the doubt and mystery that shrouds him, Rachel wonders if he can really be a murderer. Or if he is the only man who will ever own her heart…

Chasing Morgan by Jennifer Ryan. Book 4: The Hunted Series. FBI agent Tyler Reed trusts only facts and evidence until the day a beautiful blonde delivers a life-saving warning ... based on nothing more than a vision. Five years later, the mysterious Morgan Standish has used her talents to help Tyler and the FBI bring down countless criminals. Still, Tyler knows next to nothing about her. She contacts him by phone—and by some sort of psychic connection he's not prepared to admit exists—but has not shown herself once. Until now. Morgan's gift may let her see things others can't, but it comes at a price. Getting too close to anyone is dangerous, especially the gorgeous, moody Special Agent Reed. For she's seen the future: if they meet again too soon, an innocent could be lost. But when Tyler's latest case forces Morgan out of hiding, she is the one thrust into the path of a serial killer, the Psychic Slayer, who will stop at nothing to protect the secrets only Morgan can see.

Steady Beat by Lexxie Couper. Lexxie Couper's popular Heart of Fame series returns with Book 4, as a drummer who has lost his rhythm meets the one woman who can keep him in line—and ready for a second chance at both love and the spotlight.

"Sugar" by Jenna Jameson and Hope Tarr.(Photo: Skyhorse Publishing)

Sugar by Hope Tarr written with Jenna Jameson. Internationally known adult film star Sugar (Sarah Halliday) leaves Los Angeles for her native New York City to help out an ailing friend and reinvent herself. A chance encounter with a sexy former Iraq War veteran eager to explore his kinky side proves that "retirement" will be the furthest thing from boring.

The United & The Divided by L.A. Witt. In Book 3 of the Tooth & Claw series, L.A. Witt brings together one vampire and two vampire-wolves who are ready to settle down and build a life together . . . if only they can stay alive long enough.

A Very Scandalous Holiday Anthology by Nancy Fraser, Sophia Garrett, Amber Lin, Crista McHugh. Four very spirited vignettes of holidays past. Erin's Gift by Nancy Fraser, Chicago 1920: Widower Seth Harrison has no intention of falling in love again but will he be able to resist the sweetness of his son's nanny, Erin O'Mara – his sister's best friend? An Eternity of You by Sophia Garrett England, 1833: The Duke of Sharrington left Rebecca with more than a broken heart six years ago – he left her with a son. He's rekindled their passion with his return, but it will take a Christmas miracle to earn her heart. Letters at Christmas by Amber Lin England, late Regency: After three years at sea, Captain Hale Prescott has the means to marry the love of his life and his best friend's sister. Sidony Harbeck, however, might never speak to him again. Despite their whispered adolescent promises, he never wrote her a single letter… at least none he ever sent. Eight Tiny Flames by Crista McHugh, 1944 Ardennes: WWII Lt. Ruth Mencher has always secretly admired Capt. Joseph Klein, but it takes the lighting of a Hanukkah candle to uncover the spark of mutual attraction. Each night awakens a new facet of their relationship, but as the Battle of the Bulge begins, the approaching Nazi forces threaten to tear them apart.

Disenchanted & Co., Part 2: His Lordship Possessed by Lynn Viehl. In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War, Kit Kittredge makes her living investigating magic crimes and exposing the frauds behind them. Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced the attacks on Diana are part of a ominous plot—one that may involve the lady's obnoxious husband. Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man's passion, Kit struggles to remain independent. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship's curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive.

Beta (Annex #1) by Rachel Cohn. Elysia is a clone, created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen year old girl with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of teenaged clone. Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. At first, Elysia's new life on this island paradise is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care. If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't an unfeeling clone, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When Elysia's one chance at happiness is ripped away from her, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. Elysia must find the will to survive.

First Love by CJ Harte. As the daughter of the President of the United States, Jordon Thompson feels the burden of living up to her parents' strong but conservative values. Drew Hamilton has put her rodeo career on hold to purse a medical degree. One day she hopes to return to Wyoming to practice family medicine and ranch. She doesn't have time for romance with curious straight females. When Jordan hires her as a tutor, Drew finds she is learning more about life than she planned. Jordan is learning more than academics. She's learning about love. But with their very different backgrounds and families, they may not survive the stresses of a first love.

Fall means it's a good time to curl up with a good book. Leave the raking to someone else.(Photo: Photodisc/Getty Images)